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One of my first articles on the Pets Blog was about my dog and cat; I called it, “Cats and Dogs Really Can Get Along.” Another early article I wrote was: “Dogs and Toddlers: The Uncanny Similarities,” listing ways in which care for dogs and tiny humans can seriously overlap.
I should write a piece that combines the concepts from both these articles: “Cats and Dogs Really Are Quite Similar.” It’ll chronicle my experiences as a simultaneous owner of both cats and dogs, and how alike they can be. Cole and Chihiro especially seem to have learned habits from each other, but the most shocking similarity I’ve noticed is in eating.
Maybe it’s because I grew up with just one cat, a lucky feline who got to consume an entire can of wet food per day, thus leaving him uninterested in eating anything else. All I know is the first months of 2012 might as well be subtitled, for me: “My Cats Eat Things They Shouldn’t.”
First we had Cole’s sliced bread incident. Then two nights ago Chrestomanci got locked in a closet in the back room overnight, and when I found him in the morning I discovered that he’d taken bites out of the upholstery foam we kept there. The floor was littered with pieces, so I hope he just bit into them then spat them out (as well as just clawed some), but I’m still concerned that he may have actually ingested bits.
It’s funny, or perhaps not so funny, how much more worried I get when I find that my cat has eaten something he shouldn’t than I do when my dog does the same thing. We sort of just expect this sort of behavior from dogs, and while it’s concerning and we keep an eye on them, it’s usually all we do unless the dog seems to be sick.
When one of my cats eats something unusual I want to rush them to the vet immediately. I had to fight myself not to call the vet right away. I would have, if Chrestomanci hadn’t seemed O.K. But he’s acting just fine and he hasn’t thrown up. I know I can always call them, but I can also guess what they’d say.
I have a friend who used to work at a veterinarian’s office, and she always said that unless there’s something obviously very wrong with your pet, you should just observe it and make sure it acts all right. That’s what a vet would tell you to do.
My dear sister-in-law has similar problems with one of her cats; the cat eats tissues, paper towels, all sorts of things that aren’t food. The key, both she and my former veterinarian assistant friend, say, is to make sure that if the cat seems fine, then it continues acting fine. Make sure it has bowel movements; if there’s a blockage problem from what it ate, then it’s less likely to do number 2.
I’ll just have to keep an eye on Chrestomanci over the next few days and make sure that he continues to act normally, including in the litter box. That might be a little tricky, because he shares two boxes with Cole, but given that I scoop in there every day I should be able to tell if the normal amount of stuff is present.
My poor kitty – I feel bad that he got locked in the closet, especially because I didn’t notice until I’d already taken the dog out yesterday morning. It’s just part of life with a cat, though; it’s an inherent and inevitable feline trait, for them to go where they don’t belong, and to get stuck there. I just hope that he doesn’t end up having any health problems from his misadventure.
Related Articles:
Diagnosing Litter Box Problems
Why My Veterinarian Is the Best
Signs Your Pet Might Be Unwell
How to Keep Pets Off Furniture